


Gschissn gschmissn (shit happens)

by lawlietandorder



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Austrian Eren Yeager, Erwin loves The Sound of Music, Humor, Language Barrier, Light Angst, M/M, Pining Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Somewhat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-01 05:24:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13991382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lawlietandorder/pseuds/lawlietandorder
Summary: Austria was a beautiful country with a rich history, a gorgeous landscape and beautiful music. It was the perfect destination for his trip. Or it would have been, if they actually spoke German.a.k.a.In which Levi finds himself lost in a country where no one speaks the language he was taught, somehow befriends an Austrian who makes it his mission to teach him his language and in the process maybe falls in love with him.





	Gschissn gschmissn (shit happens)

**Author's Note:**

> There's a severe lack of Austrian Eren in this fandom. I'm going to change that. If there's no translation directly after a sentence it's because Levi didn't understand it. All those translations are at the end of the chapter.

Levi had been studying German for quite a few years now and had been told that his German was nearly flawless. Erwin had taken a liking to Italian which contrasted with his stoic personality while Hanji had opted for French with its unique fluent rhythm and Levi had always liked a challenge, so German he had chosen. A lot of people gave him confused looks when he told them about his skill. _“German? Why such a harsh language?”_ To Levi it didn’t sound like that. He liked its unusual rules, its use of articles and ability to fuse lots of words together to make entirely new ones.

His studies were coming to an end and he was looking forward to being done with university. However, when he realised that he had a whole semester to spare because he had rushed through his courses an idea came to his mind. Why not actually visit a country where they spoke German? Levi hadn’t taken part in any exchange students projects, deeming it unnecessary because there were German professors here. Why bother? But now the idea didn’t sound too bad. His friends would be studying for another semester anyway. In the meantime he could take some extra courses in another country. It wouldn’t look too bad on his CV either.

When he told his friends about his idea they were thrilled. Hanji had gone to France for a semester and told him that going to another country opened one’s eyes to a new world. Apparently Europe was very different, because each country had such a rich and old history and unique culture. Erwin was also in support of his idea, but Levi had a feeling he simply wanted to finish his degree in peace without Levi being there to distract him. Which was fair.

With his mind made up they talked about where he should go. Of course they instantly thought of Germany, but Hanji told him that he should go somewhere else because everyone went there. In her opinion Levi needed to go to another place. And to Levi’s surprise Erwin agreed with her. Honestly, he wouldn’t mind going to Germany. So what if it was the typical thing to do? He couldn’t care less. And because of that he let them decide where he should go. There weren’t that many countries where German was the official language anyway. To his knowledge that was the case in Germany, Liechtenstein and Austria.

Hanji told him that he would like Liechtenstein, because it was small and he would fit right in, which of course led to him immediately refusing to fly over there. Which only left Austria. Even though he had studied German he didn’t know a whole lot about the country. Just that every world war had started with them in some way. Germany had been the focus in every class he had taken and Erwin pointed out that it would be good to broaden his horizon and yeah, Levi could see the logic in that. And he was also sure that Erwin didn’t want him to go over there because he was a huge Sound of Music fan. No, that was certainly not the case.

And so Levi arranged everything, applied for the semester abroad, booked the flight, rented a small flat close to the campus – which was fucking expensive but he would rather pay for a flat by himself than live with some dick – and soon found himself on his way to Salzburg, Austria.

In retrospect, he should’ve done a little more research.

 

-

 

“Gengans afoch über d’Bruckn und donn links de Stroßn weida. Donn bei da Bank links ume. Kinnans goaned verpassn.”

Levi blinked, taken aback by the directions he was given. Was this German? No, it couldn’t be. Right? He had asked in German for directions to his flat. He thought that he had heard some German words in there, but surely that wasn’t the language he had learned. Levi knew his German. Deciding that this person must be from somewhere else he tried again.

“Sprechen Sie kein Deutsch?” **(Do you not speak German?)**

He didn’t expect the man to glare at him and walk away, muttering something which sounded like ‘Trottel’, a word he definitely knew. Him, an idiot? Annoyed he settled for finding a taxi. His first interaction with someone in Austria hadn’t gone over that well. Whatever. Next time he’d speak English. That had to have been a tourist. Not that he meant that in a judgemental way. Right now he wasn’t that much different. When he got into the taxi he told the driver the address without any problems.

_Must’ve been a fluke._

 

-

 

It turned out that it hadn’t been a fluke.

_What is going on? Why is everyone talking like that?_

Levi was sitting in his first class, watching the other students interact with each other. They weren’t talking in German to each other. At least not the German he knew. Behind him he listened in on a conversation between two students who seemed to be from Germany and to his delight he could understand them perfectly. So why did he have no clue what the boy and the girl in front of him were saying to each other? Only some words made sense to him.

“Sitzt do wer?” **(Is this seat taken?)** someone suddenly said and Levi looked up and to his left, realising the shaggy haired young guy was talking to him. He, too, had that weird dialect. Although, was it a dialect? Levi had the sneaking suspicion that maybe people here in Austria spoke a different German.

This time he managed to understand what he was being asked and was surprised that the guy wanted to sit next to him at all. Usually people avoided him when they took a good look at him. It wasn’t his fault that he had what people called a ‘resting bitch face’, but he didn’t mind. It only meant that he wouldn’t have to deal with people he had no desire to talk to anyway.

“No,” he said, acknowledging him with a curt nod. The guy sat down, taking out a notebook which had seen better days.

With nothing better to do Levi resumed listening in on the conversation happening in front of him. So far all he had found out was that they were talking about some restaurant, but that was about it. It didn’t help that they were talking quickly and animatedly, too. Levi couldn’t help but clench his teeth in frustration. He was close to getting his degree and he couldn’t understand students a few years younger than him talking to each other? This trip was turning out to be a disaster.

“Konn i ma an Stift ausleihn?” the guy next to him and Levi glared at him. “Kannst du bitte Deutsch sprechen?” **(Can you please speak German?)** he snapped, knowing he was being unfair but dammit, he couldn’t help it.

To his surprise the student only looked at him amused, his tired eyes lighting up. “Ich habe gerade Deutsch gesprochen. Sie – kann ich Sie duzen? Ich werde Sie duzen. Du bist wohl nicht von hier. Kommst du aus Deutschland?” ( **I just spoke German. You- Can I call you ‘du’? I’ll call you ‘du’.** **Looks like you’re not from here. Are you from Germany?)**

Now he could finally understand him. Levi exhaled slowly and turned in his seat to fully face him. “Nein. Ich bin Amerikaner.” **(No, I’m an American.)**

“Wirklich? **(Really?)** Your German is pretty good,” he told him and smiled, effortlessly switching to English.

“Your English is good as well,” Levi replied, noticing the guy pronounced the words more like a Brit would, but maybe that was simply the way they were taught here. Great Britain was a part of Europe after all.

“Thanks. You know, I’m going to give you some advice, because you need it,” he was told. “Don’t tell an Austrian that they don’t speak German. It’s pretty insulting.”

“But you don’t speak German,” Levi said, furrowing his eyebrows. The guy sighed and rolled his eyes. “You’re going to be a real hit with the people here. My name is Eren, by the way.”

“I didn’t ask for your name,” Levi scoffed. Who did this guy think he was, berating him like that? He had been taught German and knew what it sounded like. What these people spoke here wasn’t like that.

“I gave it to you anyway. Look, can’t you see that I’m trying to help you not get punched? I’m surprised you’re still in one piece,” Eren said and Levi couldn’t figure out if he was being serious or not.

Was he really being insensitive? But if he could communicate with Germans he should be able to do the same with Austrians. “I don’t get it. Why do you talk differently?” Levi asked, looking at the couple in front of him. “It’s nothing like I was taught.”

“That’s just how it is. You don’t talk like someone from England, do you?”

“But I can understand them!” Levi countered and Eren paused. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best comparison. But, you know. Be glad that you didn’t go to Vorarlberg,” he chuckled. “Even we don’t understand them there.”

“Great.” He shouldn’t have listened to Hanji and Erwin. Like every other person he should’ve gone to Germany. At least there he wouldn’t be having these communication issues.

“So, can I borrow a pen? Please?” Eren asked.

“What?”

“I asked you if I could borrow a pen. Or a pencil. Anything would be good,” he replied and smiled. “Well, I asked you that before you snapped at me.”

Should he apologise for that? Nah. Right now he still wasn’t sure if Eren was a dick or not. However, Levi wasn’t a total jerk, contrary to popular belief, so he let him have one of his pens. Right in time, because the lecture started and Levi was relieved to hear that the lecturer spoke normal, good German. Thank fuck.

 

-

 

He honestly didn’t know why he was letting this happen. Boredom? Desperation? Insanity? Yeah, the last one was probably it. Still, he didn’t know what had possessed Eren to follow him around like a lost puppy in the first place.

“How long have you been here?” Eren asked as they walked down the street, free from classes.

“I arrived last Wednesday,” Levi replied, slowing his pace so he could walk next to him. Although he had short legs he was usually faster than others. Erwin had once joked that he did it intentionally, as a way to assert his dominance or some shit like that. He did it mostly so he didn’t have to talk. So why was he slowing down?

Eren gave a short hum of acknowledgement. “I see. You haven’t even been here for a week. Have you already seen some sights or stuff like that?”

“No.”

“No? Why not?”

“I was busy cleaning my flat.” Oh, and cleaning it had needed. It hadn’t been as bad as he had expected, but it was tough for any place to be up to his standard.

Eren looked at him wide eyed. “Wait. You have a flat? To yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Seriously? Are you rich or something? Salzburg is fucking expensive,” he told him. “I live with two friends and we have a tiny apartment.”

Why was Eren telling him all these things? Levi hadn’t given him any reason to think they were going to be friends. Apparently his disinterest had shown, because Eren didn’t continue talking and they both walked in awkward silence. Levi didn’t know why, but he felt kind of bad. This guy was the first who had even tried to talk to him here. Levi had been prepared to spend his time abroad alone and now he was being presented with the chance to not spend it like that.

“I’m Levi,” he muttered, so quietly that at first he wasn’t sure Eren had even heard, but when he took a look at him he saw him smile. “That’s a weird name for an American.”

“Eren isn’t any better,” Levi retaliated and heard him laugh. “True. You know, if you’re going to stay here for a semester or a year, you need to learn some Austrian.”

When Levi gave him a confused look Eren continued. “I mean Austrian German. It’s different than the normal one. Better if you ask me, but that’s just my national pride talking. I think you’re mostly confused by the dialect here. You know Bavaria in Germany? Them and us are similar, still different, but we can understand them and them us when we talk normally.”

“But how am I ever going to get what you’re all saying?” Levi asked. He used to think he had mastered German, but now it felt like he was back to square one.

“Germans also don’t always understand us. You have no idea how many German tourists have asked me to speak English after I told them directions,” Eren said and Levi had a feeling he wanted to cheer him up.

“The best way to learn is to simply listen. So from now on I won’t speak English anymore and will pretend not to understand it as well.”

“Wait, what?” Levi stopped walking and looked up at him. “You’re not serious, are you?”

Eren only grinned at him. “Wie bitte?” **(Sorry?)**

Levi’s fingers twitched with the desire to punch him in the face so his shit eating grin would disappear, but he didn’t. He took a deep breath and got a hold of himself again. Violence was not the solution.

This guy was going to be the death of him.

 

-

 

A week later Levi found himself sitting on the couch in Eren’s flat, drinking coffee and listening to Eren talk to his two best friends. He honestly wasn’t sure how he had even befriended him. Although, Levi also had no idea how he had befriended Erwin and Hanji and he had known them for more than a decade. Did that make Eren his first new friend in ten years? Wow. That sounded pathetic even in his head.

“Bist du dir sicher, dass das OK ist?” **(Are you sure that this is okay?)** Armin asked and glanced at Levi. “Ich finde du bist ziemlich gemein.” **(I think you’re being pretty mean.)**

“Armin, red so wie imma!” **(Armin, talk the way you always do!”)** Eren scolded him, crossing his arms. “Wie lernt er des sunst?” **(How else is he supposed to learn?)**

“...du host wahrscheinlich recht...” **(...you’re probably right…)** Armin sighed and Levi’s attention was pulled away from them when Mikasa started talking to him.

“You’re from America, right?” she asked, surprising him by talking English. Up to this point Eren’s sister – adopted sister if he remembered correctly – hadn’t talked to him at all and he had the impression that she disliked him. Why, he wasn’t exactly sure.

“Yes.”

“Hm. Eren has been talking about you a lot,” Mikasa said and crossed her legs. “He said that you looked quite lost when he first met you.”

Of course he would say something like that. “I wasn’t lost,” he told her, grabbing his cup of coffee and taking a sip. She watched him with her eyebrows drawn tightly together.

“He told us to talk German, but I honestly don’t see the point. You’re going to be gone in four months anyway. There’s no way you’ll learn to talk like us that quickly.”

Listening to her talk made up his mind in regards to whether she liked him or not. She didn’t.

“I can try,” Levi said, astonishing himself. He honestly hadn’t planned on going through with Eren’s plan to integrate him, but now that he knew that Mikasa thought he couldn’t do it he felt motivated.

“Really? Alright. Say Oachkatzlschwoaf.”

Suddenly Eren and Armin stopped talking and looked at them. “I hob gwusst, dass du des doa wiast,” Eren laughed and Armin was smiling. Levi could only stare at her confused. “Can you repeat that?”

“Oachkatzlschwoaf. Eren, I’m surprised you haven’t done this already. Usually it’s the first thing you ask foreigners,” she said, lips stretching into smirk. Levi tried to recall all the different sounds of the word, but goddamn it was hard. He didn’t even know where to begin. However, he didn’t want to not pass this test or whatever it was. And yet he knew that he would only embarrass himself if he tried pronouncing it. Oh well.

As he started to repeat the words – or was it a single word? - he was immediately bombarded by laughter from all three of them. Even Mikasa was laughing at his poor attempt and looking like she was very much enjoying herself.

“Ah, imma wieder lustig,” **(Ah, hilarious every time)** Eren sighed and wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. “Sorry. Den Test kamma ned bestehen.” **(No one’s able to pass this test.)**

“Wieso musste ich den dann machen?” **(Why did I have to do it then?)** Levi asked annoyed and Eren grinned. “Weil’s für uns lustig is.” **(Because for us it’s funny.)**

Typical.

“Does every Austrian do this?” he questioned him, receiving no response. “Eren?”

“Hm? ‘Tschuldigung, i sprich ka Englisch.” **(Sorry, I don’t speak English.)** Why Levi still hadn’t punched him was beyond him.

“Macht das jeder Österreicher?” **(Does every Austrian do this?)**

“Levi...”

He was so irritating! “Ma-mocht des jeda...Österreicher?” Levi asked, still unsure if he was saying it correctly. Judging from Eren’s smile it had been sufficient.

“Yup!” No further explanation? Alright then. Levi sometimes didn’t get Eren. Talking to him left him often confused and not just because he refused to speak English even though Levi knew he could speak it perfectly well. Eren constantly surprised him by his reactions to Levi. People ignored him because he was rude and didn’t like talking in general, but Eren only laughed when he cursed and insulted him. It was very strange.

“Ah, a friend of mine loves Sound of Music. Are they any shops here for stuff like that?” Levi asked Armin, knowing he would answer him.

“Sound of Music? Really?” Armin replied and shook his head. “I seriously don’t get why everyone loves it so much. But yeah, I’m sure Eren could take you to one if you ask him.”

“Do people here not like it?” Levi said, watching Mikasa next to him roll her eyes. “Not like it? Most people here have never heard of it. We only know it exists because all the tourists keep bothering us because of it,” she told him.

“Woast du nu wie der ane Typ docht hod du keast zu der asiatischen Touristengruppm und woitst zur Sound of Music Tour?” Eren said while laughing and Mikasa groaned. “Des woa so des Oaschloch! Am liabstn hätt i erm in sei schiaches Gfrieß khaut!”

Levi looked at Armin, waiting for a translation, but Armin only shrugged. “Sorry. For stuff like that you’ll have to learn our way to talk yourself.”

Damn.

 

-

 

“Finally! It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other!” Hanji’s face moved to the left of the screen as Erwin made her give him some space. “You’re doing alright I hope. Have you been eating enough?”

Levi rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics. “Yes, _mum_. Seriously, I can take care of myself. I’m an adult.”

“That’s debatable,” he heard Hanji mutter and he glared into the webcam. Seeing his friends again was nice, even though he wouldn’t tell them that. They didn’t need to get their egos stroked, especially Erwin.

“How is Salzburg?” Erwin asked him and Levi looked out of the window, seeing the now familiar grey clouds. “The weather sucks. It’s been raining the entire month I’ve been here.” Okay, not the _entire_ month, but it sure felt like it.”

Erwin smiled. “Here it’s sunny every day. I can’t even remember what rain looks like.”

“Oh fuck off,” Levi grumbled and leaned back in his chair. “I’m seriously thinking of not giving you those Sound of Music CDs and DVDs I got you.”

“You did what?” Watching his eyes grow wide like that was oddly satisfying. “Alright. I’ll behave.”

Levi laughed. “Did you know that no one here knows what the Sound of Music even is? I thought they’d all know the whole script by heart. Kind of disappointing, actually.” And it was rather scary that he probably knew it by heart. Damn Erwin and his strange obsession.

“Really? Wh-”

“Can we talk about actual exciting stuff now?” Hanji interrupted Erwin and fixed her glasses. “What have you been doing in your free time? Have you gone sightseeing?”

“I went to the Hohensalzburg Fortress yesterday. They had some kind of flight show with eagles and falcons. That was pretty cool,” he told them and smiled slightly when he remembered Eren ducking in fear when that one eagle dived.

“ _I saw him looking at me like he wanted to devour me! I’m telling you, Levi! If I die here it’s your fault!”_ He’d gotten so worked up that he had even forgotten to talk German.

“We also went to the Museum of Modern Art. That was alright. I think I’ll check out Mozart’s birthplace, too. Being in the city of Mozart and then not going there would be strange,” Levi added and saw his friends nod.

“I’m glad you’re not just sitting at home brooding. Maybe you- Wait,” Hanji abruptly stopped talking, her mouth hanging open. “Did you just say ‘we’? With whom did you go?” she asked.

Shit. He shouldn’t have said that. There was no way to backtrack now, though.

“Levi!” she urged him to speak and he crossed his arms. “I went with Eren.”

Erwin raised one of his bushy eyebrows. “Who’s that?”

“We share some classes.”

“Oh god you made a friend!” Hanji exclaimed, smiling brightly. “I didn’t think you’d actually meet new people!” She pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. “I’m so proud of you.”

Why had he slipped up? Now he was going to have to deal with his friends’ comments. “You’re making it seem like it’s some kind of miracle.”

“It is,” Erwin so helpfully replied and smirked. “I can assume it wasn’t you who initiated this friendship.”

“God no,” Levi huffed. “I didn’t even really have a choice. He started following me around like some lost puppy.”

It wasn’t true and he didn’t know why he was lying. He had had a choice. Any time he could’ve told Eren that he had no desire to stay in contact with him. And yet he had allowed him to stick around. Was he getting that lonely?

“He’s alright. Although he can be quite intense. But that reminds me,” he started and glared at them both. “Why didn’t you fucks tell me that they don’t speak German here?!”

Hanji blinked. “What? But they speak German.”

“No they don’t. Well, they do, but it’s different. It sounds like someone took all the harsh consonants out and added a whole new melody to the language. I didn’t understand a thing at first,” Levi explained to them. With narrowed eyes he caught Erwin trying to suppress a smile. “You knew, didn’t you?”

Erwin shrugged, the corners of his lips twitching upwards. “I said you should broaden your horizon, didn’t I?”

“You asshole!”

“Hey. You’re the German expert here. I thought you knew what you’d be confronted with. Don’t try to blame me,” he said. Erwin had a point, Levi knew that, but he was still pissed off.

“Whatever.”

“Do you both speak English with each other then?” Hanji asked him and Levi rolled his eyes. “I wish. We did at first, but then he had the brilliant idea that I should learn his dialect, language, whatever the fuck it is. And now he pretends he doesn’t understand me.”

“He sounds like someone I’d like,” she laughed. Yeah. They’d be best buddies in no time. Levi shuddered when he thought about what would happen if they talked to each other. Unstoppable force meets immovable object.

Levi looked at his phone, grimacing when he saw what time it was. “I’ll have to catch some sleep now. I’ve got early classes.”

“Oh right, time zones,” Hanji murmured. “But it’s not that late, is it? You don’t need that much sleep anyway.”

“I need it. Trust me. I’m being dragged to a soccer game. Soccer.” He groaned as he thought about it. Eren had just bought a ticket for him without asking. Levi wasn’t interested in soccer at all. Apparently the sport was pretty big in Austria, not as big as skiing though. They were truly obsessed with that.

“ _You think Eren is obsessed with football? Just wait till it’s winter. When the first snow falls he’ll be up on a mountain and skiing recklessly. And then when he gets home he’ll drag you in front of the TV to watch the professionals do it. Ah, I forgot. You’ll be back in America then, won’t you?”_

Yes, he would be. Far, far away from Mikasa, Armin and Eren. He didn’t know why, but when she had told him that he almost felt sad for a short moment. He truly wanted to see Eren annoy everyone else with his never-ending enthusiasm. Oh well.

“Yes. It truly sounds like that will be awful,” Erwin said without a hint of sympathy. “Hopefully you won’t have to go to a pub afterwards. I heard Austrians consume a lot of beer.”

Levi hadn’t even thought about that. Fuck. “I’m going to die tomorrow,” he whined and heard Hanji laugh. “Oh shut up. Have fun and don’t be too mean to Eren. He’s a saint for even putting up with you.”

“She’s right.”

“I hate both of you. Bye,” Levi grumbled and leaned forward to turn the webcam off. Eren, a saint? Yeah right. They wouldn’t be saying that if they knew the guy. They had no idea what he was like.

 

-

 

Watching a soccer match in Austria was...not like he had imagined it to be. Levi wasn’t a fan of crowds and usually avoided large social gatherings, but somehow he didn’t mind all that much. The stadium wasn’t full, but there were a good amount of people there who cheered on their club, waving flags and singing songs. Amused he watched Eren as he started singing with them some Austrian song he didn’t know. Eren’s cheeks were red from the excitement as he grinned, shouting encouraging words.

Back in America he had gone to one or two football matches and had found it to be a pretty boring affair. He hadn’t even bothered going to a soccer match. There weren’t any people he knew who even cared about the sport. Hanji was a basketball fan and Erwin was the same as him, preferring to do physical exercise instead of watching someone else push their bodies. Levi simply didn’t understand the appeal of watching someone else play.

And yet he was starting to enjoy himself. Sure, he didn’t really care about who won – and he was not going to tell Eren that or he’d probably smack him – and he found it all to be a bit silly, but it was simply fun to watch Eren go through so many emotions in such a short amount of time. The Austrian never bothered to mask his emotions and Levi was sure the concept of a poker face was foreign to him. Eren would sometimes rise to his feet to cheer his team on, smiling from ear to ear and the next minute he’d shout obscenities at the referee when he made a wrong decision. Although, Levi didn’t know if he had actually done that. He was too busy watching Eren and didn’t care about what was happening on the field.

Before he knew it the first half of the match was over and Eren sat back down, exhaling harshly. “I hoff se zahn donn amoi o!” **(I hope they’ll get their asses in gear soon!)** he groaned.

“Des wird scho,” **(It’ll be okay.)** Levi replied and saw Eren’s eyes light up.

“You’re getting better! That didn’t sound bad at all!” he praised him, smiling warmly and Levi looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “It’s still shitty. But hey, why the sudden switch to English?” he asked him.

Eren sighed. “Honestly, talking German when I know you don’t understand everything is kind of annoying.”

“It was your idea!” Levi pointed out, crossing his arms. “It’s hopeless anyway. Learning your stupid dialect in four months is impossible. I’ll stick to my normal German.”

“That one sounds dumb, though,” Eren replied.

“It doesn’t!”

“Yeah it does. Sounds all stuck up.”

Levi rolled his eyes. “I’ll never understand your rivalry with the Germans.”

“That’s just how it is here,” Eren said, an explanation he had often told Levi. “Four months, huh? That’s not long at all.”

No, it wasn’t. Levi looked at him and frowned when he saw Eren’s expression. “Trust me, with you following me everywhere it will feel like a year.”

“I don’t follow you everywhere!” Eren huffed, taking the bait. “Be glad that I started talking to you. Otherwise you’d still be sulking because you don’t understand anyone.”

“I was not sulking.”

“Yeah you were!”

What a load of bullshit. However, at least he had taken Eren’s mind off the fact that he would be leaving in not even half a year. Four months could feel long, couldn’t they? Sure, the first month had passed by so quickly Levi wondered where the time had gone, but he still had another sixteen weeks. That was more than enough time to explore every part of Salzburg.

“Do you like being here?” Eren asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah. Soccer is alright.”

“You mean football.” Not this conversation again.

“Eren. Where I’m from we call it soccer. Football is something else there.”

“But that makes no sense! In American football the players can pick up the ball and run! You don’t even really play with your feet!” Eren argued and yeah, Levi could see the logic in that, but-

“That’s just how it is there,” he said and smirked, repeating Eren’s own words.

He watched Eren narrow his eyes and sink back into his chair. “Arschloch.” **(Asshole.)**

“Trottel.” **(Jerk.)**

Eren’s team ended up winning the match. Levi may or may not have cheered together with Eren. No beer was consumed.

 

-

 

Huge quantities of beer were consumed, however, on Eren’s birthday.

“Prost!” **(Cheers!)** Eren laughed next to him and clinked his and Armin’s glasses together, then took a swig. Levi wondered if all Austrians could hold their liquor well, because everyone seemed to still be doing okay. Everyone except for him.

Normally he wasn’t a lightweight, but here he was, trying to concentrate on their conversation but failing. Levi tugged on his collar, feeling hot. He hadn’t even drunk that much, had he? His attempts at recalling his consumption failed. That wasn’t good.

“Geht’s dir gut?” **(Are you alright?)** Eren suddenly asked him and Levi wondered how wrecked he looked. This was embarrassing, being drunk while all the others were still fine. He nodded. “I bin OK. Passt scho,” **(I’m okay. It’s fine.)** he replied and saw Eren smile. “Your dialect is better when you’re drunk,” he chuckled. “Are you sure you’re fine?”

“’m fine,” Levi grumbled, finishing his beer. “Why’d you switch?”

“I thought you’d be more comfortable that way,” he answered and Levi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, suddenly it’s okay again. I don’t get you.”

Eren shrugged and smiled again and Levi looked away, tugging on his collar again. God, it was so freaking hot. He needed to get out of here.

“If you say so.”

However, he wasn’t fine at all. At least not after another two beers. Levi knew he shouldn’t have drunk any more, but dammit, he didn’t want everyone thinking he was a lightweight. It hadn’t been his smartest decision.

It was obvious that everyone was watching him in amusement when he was passionately talking to Armin about a TV show they both liked. He didn’t know if he was just not making sense or something, but Armin didn’t get his point at all. “’m tellin’ you, she wasn- oh.” He grimaced when he accidentally knocked over Armin’s glass. “Sorry.”

“I think we should get goin’,” Eren said, his face red. “You’re pretty drunk.”

Levi would normally tell him to shut it, but yeah, maybe he was a bit drunk. He had wanted to leave an hour ago and yet he had stayed. He had to admit that their celebration had been fun and Eren’s friends weren’t all idiots. All in all it hadn’t been too bad.

“Wait, why ‘we’?” he asked confused and Eren stood up. “I’m goin’, too. Also you’d never...never...what the fuck’s the word?” he murmured, then shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s jus’ go.”

“Sats vorsichtig,” **(Be safe.)** Armin said while he cleaned the mess Levi had left.

“Yeah, yeah,” Levi grumbled and also got out of his seat. “We’ll be fine.” At least he hoped they would.

“Nu vü Spaß!” **(Have fun!)** Eren told them, taking Levi by his wrist and dragging him out of the pub. When the fresh air hit him he took a deep breath. Levi hadn’t even noticed how bad the air inside had been. He looked up at Eren. “Why’d you leave? It’s your party,” he asked.

They started walking and Levi looked down again, concentrating on his steps. He really shouldn’t have drunk so much. Holy shit.

“I was nearin’ my limit an’ I didn’t want to get absolutely shitfaced,” he said.

“Mh. I feel ev’n worse now,” Levi groaned and stumbled over his own feet, but Eren caught him by his upper arm and pulled him back up.

“Luftwatschn. That’s what that’s called here,” Eren chuckled.

They continued walking and Levi was thankful that his flat was so close. He didn’t have enough money left to call a taxi. As they walked he noticed that Eren still hadn’t let go of him. He probably didn’t trust him enough to walk properly, which wasn’t that unlikely. Still, where his hand touched his arm Levi felt warm and he stared at the ground, the blood rushing to his face. It was the alcohol. It had to be the alcohol.

“’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“What for?” Eren asked, obviously not getting what he was talking about.

“I didn’t get you a present. I didn’t even know t’was your birthday until Armin said somethin’,” he admitted, the guilt laying heavy in his stomach. Without Eren he would most likely still be wandering around Salzburg alone. The least he could’ve done was get him a gift.

Eren surprised him by laughing. “That’s what you’re sorry for? C’mon. You couldn’t have known it was my birthday. And besides, you gave me a present.”

“No, I didn’t,” Levi frowned and looked up at him, swallowing thickly when he saw Eren’s warm smile. “You did. You celebrated with us. You were there. That’s all I wanted,” he told him and they arrived at Levi’s flat.

_It’s the alcohol. That’s why your heart is pounding like that. It’s just the fucking alcohol. Get a grip, Levi. Don’t think about it don’t think about it don’t think about it._

“You wanna crash here?” Levi asked, immediately cursing himself for suggesting that. This was exactly what he didn’t need right now. Having Eren in his apartment while he was intoxicated was such a bad idea. He desperately hoped he’d say no.

“Uh, sure, why not?”

_Dammit._

It took him a bit longer to get his key into the keyhole and he heard Eren trying not to laugh behind him. Maybe he was a bit drunker than him, so what? Levi opened the door and turned on the lights, thankful that he was finally home. He really needed to catch some sleep.

“Your flat’s so clean,” Eren marvelled as he walked around and for a short moment Levi was worried that he had some embarrassing things laying around, but that shouldn’t be the case. Maybe some Sound of Music CDs. And yes, maybe he had listened to one, stupid Erwin and his damn obsession.

“Don’t touch anything,” he told him and walked to the kitchen to drink some water to clear his mind. Eren was in his flat. Why was this making his heart beat so fast? This was fucking stupid. Fuck alcohol for making him feel like this.

He heard Eren walking around while he drank a glass of water. He’d better not be snooping around. After setting his glass down Levi walked to the living room where he saw Eren looking out of the window. “You can sleep on the couch,” he told him. There was no way he was going to give up his bed. “Okay,” Eren nodded and yawned. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

“No problem,” Levi replied. “I’ll get you a blanket,” he said and walked to his bedroom. Eren fucking Jäger was going to sleep in his living room. Why was this fact making his chest feel so strange? Eren was a friend, nothing more. And no, he didn’t want them to be more than friends...or did he? Levi had no idea what was wrong with him.

With Eren’s blanket he walked back into the living room. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw that Eren laid already passed out on the couch, his mouth slightly parted. Carefully he covered his body with the blanket, quietly laughing when Eren immediately snuggled into the couch. God, he was fucking adorable. Levi paused in his thoughts. Wait, adorable? Oh no. He really had a crush on Eren. Fuck. That was less than ideal.

Resisting the urge to ran his fingers through Eren’s hair he walked back to his bedroom and decided to finally get some sleep. Thinking about this bullshit could wait.

 

-

 

“I give up,” Eren groaned and threw his hands up in the air. “You’re absolutely hopeless. It can’t be that hard.”

“Not that hard? I have no idea how you’re even making these sounds,” Levi complained. “There’s no way I’ll ever be able to fucking talk like you. I’m glad you finally got that.”

Eren rolled his eyes and looked up at the blue, cloudless sky. The sun was shining brightly, blinding Levi and he squinted, focusing his eyes on Eren. They had decided to spend their free day roaming around Salzburg and were now sitting on a patch of grass near the Salzach, the river running through the city.

“You’re not even trying,” Eren mumbled. “Although, making you sound like a local is probably impossible with just two months left.”

“You think?” Levi mocked him, earning him a glare from Eren in return. Part of him had been worried that after realising he had a crush on him things would be awkward, but they weren’t, because he had successfully buried any feelings he had for him deep, deep down. After his realisation that he harboured feelings for the Austrian back at his birthday, Levi had had a bit of a freak out. Having feelings for another guy? Not a problem. Developing feelings for someone he had only known for such a short of time? A bit of a problem. Having a crush on someone he’d never see again after boarding his flight in two months? Big problem.

And that was why he needed to get rid of this stupid crush. If he let himself be fooled into thinking this could work out he’d only be in for a load of pain. It was better to not act on his feelings. Besides, he had no idea if Eren liked him. He didn’t even know if he had any interest in guys.

“Two months,” Eren muttered and sat cross-legged. “Are you glad you’re going back to America soon?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Levi replied honestly. “My friends are there. Although, catching a break from their bullshit is pretty refreshing,” he told him and looked at him, seeing Eren staring at the river. “Everyone gets a bit homesick, don’t they? I’m also glad when I escape from this constant rain. I feel like I’m in England.”

Eren nodded, still not looking at him. “I’d get homesick, too. But it’s a shame that you’ll be gone before skiing season even started. It’s the best time of the year.”

“I think I should be grateful that I’ll be gone by then,” Levi said and Eren laughed. “Oh come on. It wouldn’t have been bad. I’m sure we would’ve had fun.”

“No, you would’ve had fun. I’d be stuck on a mountain, afraid for my life as suicidal Austrians race down the mountainside.” Eren continued laughing, smiling brightly. “Mh. You might be right.” He laid down on his back, closing his eyes and letting the sun shine down on him. “I’ll miss you,” he told Levi. “Without you these past months wouldn’t have been the same.”

“If I’m not there then of course they can’t be the same. What a dumb thing to say,” Levi grumbled and looked down at him, seeing him smile. “You’re a real idiot, you know that?”

“I’m not an idiot,” Eren replied. “I just think differently.”

“Yeah. And that makes you an idiot.”

Eren opened one eye. “You can be a real dick.”

“I know,” Levi replied. He’d miss him, too. A lot. That was why he should’ve never gotten attached to anyone here. He wouldn’t see them again and what had he done? Exactly what he shouldn’t have. He was the real idiot here.

“You’ve got to cheer up. Another two months with you will feel like an eternity anyway. Let’s just make the most of it. I’m sure you haven’t shown me everything yet,” Levi said and laid down beside him. “We could go to the flight show at the fortress again. That was fun.”

“The fucking eagle wanted to eat me,” Eren mumbled, making Levi laugh. “You’re still going on about that?”

“He was going for my neck!” he exclaimed and Levi turned away from him, laughing even harder as he remembered Eren’s terrified face.

“Holy shit. You were so fucking terrified,” he managed to say.

“Rightfully so! And why are you laughing so hard? Stop making fun of me!” Eren complained, but Levi had no intention of doing so. Riling him up was simply too entertaining.

After he had calmed down he turned his head to look at him, vision slightly blurry from unshed tears. “You’re a fucking idiot,” he chuckled and this time Eren didn’t get angry. He just smiled at him. “Is that so bad?”

No, it wasn’t.

 

-

 

“-and he said that I was going to kill myself! As if that would ever happen,” Hanji rambled, completely oblivious to the fact that Levi had lost interest in the story five minutes ago.

“How about you listen to Moblit? He’s clearly worried about your...questionable practices in the lab,” Erwin suggested, but she waved him off. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, enough about me. How’s your last month in Austria going?”

Levi shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m a bit busy with exams at the moment,” he told her and frowned when he saw his friends’ expressions change. “What?”

“Is that Eren?” Erwin asked and Levi quickly turned around, seeing Eren standing by the door, sheepishly looking at him. “Uh, I just thought I should ask if you want me to order take-out now? I didn’t know you were still chatting with your friends...” he said quietly, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Oh, oh! Eren! We need to talk to you!” Hanji yelled and Levi sighed, seeing them both looking at Eren curiously. “Fine. You can talk to him,” he grumbled and stood up. “There, take a seat.”

“Huh?” Eren squeaked. “W-what? No. I just wanted-”

“No. Go talk to them. Otherwise they won’t leave me alone,” Levi said. “I’ll go order.”

He watched Eren nervously sit down in his chair, staring wide-eyed at Erwin and Hanji. If he’d be face to face, okay, screen to screen with them, seeing them for the first time he’d be nervous, too. Levi walked out of the room and to the living room. Their books were scattered across the table and he saw Eren’s notebook covered in his chicken scrawl. Jesus Christ. How could he read his own writing?

Levi ordered take-out for them, by now knowing what Eren liked. They had been meeting up to study a few times now. Eren had suggested this, telling Levi he would only get distracted if he was alone. That he could believe.

When he returned to his room Hanji was laughing, Erwin was smiling smugly and Eren sat there with his face covered by his hands. “What’s going on?” Levi asked curiously and Hanji smirked. “Nothing. We were just talking,” she said and Levi narrowed his eyes. Very suspicious.

“Well, it was nice meeting you,” Eren muttered, standing up and hurrying out of the room. Why was his face so red?

“I like Eren,” Erwin said as Levi sat back down. “What did you talk about?”

“Just some general stuff. You know, his family, friends, how you got to know him.”

“I told you that already,” Levi pointed out and Hanji rolled her eyes. “Yes, we know. But it’s interesting to hear another point of view. Anyway, we don’t want to disturb your study session any longer. Geez, you could’ve told us you were busy.”

“If I had told you you still would’ve called,” Levi remarked.

“Anyway, have fun!” Hanji smiled and Erwin chuckled. “Yes. Have fun, Levi.”

The call ended and Levi frowned. That had been a bit weird. He shut his laptop off and left his bedroom, finding Eren at the table. “Take-out will be here in twenty minutes,” he informed him. Eren nodded and stared down at his notebook. His ears were still pink. “What did they talk to you about?” Levi asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Eren looked up. “Hm. They told me that they’ve heard a lot about me… And that they hope I’m taking care of you,” he smiled and Levi huffed. “I’m not a child,” he muttered. “What else?”

“Not much. Just how we met and stuff. It’s not like we had a lot of time to talk,” he told him. “Your friends seem nice. I like them.”

“So far you like them. Just wait till you meet Hanji. After half an hour with her you’ll wish she’d just shut the fuck up,” Levi replied, but their was no bite behind his words.

“Ah. I won’t meet her though,” Eren said awkwardly and Levi realised his mistake. “Right. Sorry. I’m already thinking about when I’m back in America.”

Eren gave him a smile, but it wasn’t...right. It didn’t reach his eyes. “So, can we go back to studying? I seriously don’t want to fail my exams. If I fail I’ll cry,” he whined. Levi sat down and sighed. “You won’t fail. Not with my help anyway. I’ll make sure your tiny brain can remember everything.”

“God. You’re such a dick,” Eren muttered and grabbed one of his books. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m even friends with you.”

“Because I’m the only one who puts up with your shit,” Levi said. “Now, let’s go through this one more time...”

 

-

 

“Wie geil! Oh mein Gott, Levi, I hobs gschofft!” **(Awesome! Oh my god, Levi, I did it!)** Eren exclaimed, shoving his phone into Levi’s hand. “Schau!” **(Look!”)**

Amused he took it and looked at Eren’s exam marks. “I’m impressed. You did better than I thought you would,” he said and saw him stick out his tongue. “You’re just jealous that I was better than you.”

“Yeah, in one course,” Levi pointed out. “Don’t let it get to your head.”

“Whatever. I’m just glad we have no more exams this semester. I’m done with everything,” Eren said. “But...thank you.”

“For what? Studying? There’s no need to thank me for that, dumbass,” Levi waved him off and Eren laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, studying… By the way, when are you flying back to America?” he asked.

“Next week.”

If the thought of leaving didn’t make him feel sick then he would almost find Eren’s horrified expression funny.

“Next week?! I thought we still had more time!” he gaped and got up from his position on the couch to look at his calendar on the wall. “What day?”

“Wednesday.”

“That’s less than a week! You’re flying back in five days!” Eren groaned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Levi heaved a sigh. “I told you about three weeks ago.”

“Yeah, but I was busy with exams. I totally forgot...” His voice grew quieter and Levi saw him chewing on one fingernail. “What should I do?” he heard him mumble.

Going back to America should make him happy. Levi would be lying if he said he didn’t miss his friends, even if they were annoying as all hell. But, Austria wasn’t so bad. Sure, the start had been less than ideal, but the country had grown on him. The people, too. Eren had grown on him. Fuck. He didn’t want to leave him.

However, he had no choice. There was no way that he could stay. And it wasn’t like he wanted to spend another two years in Austria, he really wanted to go back to America, but _Eren_. Right now Levi couldn’t imagine a life without him. In the past few months he had turned into such a huge part of his pathetic life. He would’ve never thought he’d meet anyone he liked not only physically but romantically and now here he was, right in front of him. That he was from a country on a whole other continent was like a sick joke.

The thought of leaving him behind, of never seeing him again made him ill. It made him sick to his stomach. This wasn’t fair. Levi couldn’t even tell him how much he liked him. It would only hurt him too much when Eren rejected him. No, he wanted to leave with the possibility that maybe Eren had liked him.

Levi thought back to all the time they had spent together. They had gone to a surprising amount of soccer matches, even though Levi didn’t particularly care for the sport. Eren just looked so damn happy whenever his team scored a goal. His eyes were so bright in those moments, just like they had been at the birthday party. Seeing him smile, seeing him happy made Levi’s heart ache in all the right ways. And in that moment Levi realised that he didn’t just like Eren. He had fallen for the Austrian. This wasn’t good.

“Do you want to have dinner with us on Tuesday? You know, as a sort-of goodbye party,” Eren asked him, having moved back to sit next to him without Levi realising. “Why not?” he replied and Eren smiled warmly. Levi would savour these last days with him. He’d make the most out of them. Even though Eren didn’t like him, he’d always have these memories to treasure.

“As long as you don’t cook,” Levi teased him and Eren put a hand over his own heart. “You hurt me. You don’t even know if I can cook.”

“I have a feeling that you can’t.”

“Oh shut up.”

 

-

 

It turned out that Eren could, in fact, cook.

“Holy shit,” Levi said, staring at the set table. There was so much food. It was a miracle that there was even any space left for the plates and cutlery. The smell in the living room had his mouth watering and Armin laughed. “Amazing, right? Eren made all this. He’ll tell you that we helped, but we only cut some vegetables. He’s very...difficult to work with in the kitchen,” he informed him.

“Wait, Eren cooked?” Levi asked bewildered. As he looked over the various components of the dish, the cooked vegetables, the bread dumplings and the absolutely delicious looking roast pork, he wondered how long it took Eren to make all this. If he hadn’t already fallen for him he definitely would’ve now. That idiot was too nice for his own good.

Mikasa was already sitting at the table, staring at the food her brother had made. She wasn’t even acknowledging that Levi had just arrived. “Eren! Wo bist du?” **(Eren! Where are you?)** she asked.

“Bin glei da!” **(I’m coming!)** Eren shouted, still in the kitchen but he quickly emerged with a saucière, filled with gravy. “Hab nu die Sauce holen müssn. Ah, Levi!” **(I had to get the sauce.)** he smiled brightly when he saw him. “Perfect timing. Take a seat wherever you want to,” he said and put the gravy on the table.

Levi did as he was told and chose to sit opposite of Mikasa. Armin sat next to her and so Levi took a seat next to Levi. “This was such a lot of work. Oh well. I hope it was worth it,” he said.

“It smells delicious,” Armin praised him and Levi nodded in agreement. It really did. He felt his stomach rumbling. His last meal in Austria was going to be fucking fantastic.

“Can we just eat already?” Mikasa asked impatiently, eyes fixed on the roast pork. “I’m hungry.”

Eren laughed. “Ja, sicher. Bedients eich,” **(Yeah, sure. Help yourself.)** he said and Levi tried not to laugh when Mikasa immediately started attacking the food. With more self-control he began putting food on his own plate, touched that Eren went through all the trouble to cook. He’d miss him so fucking much. And after this meal he’d also miss his cooking.

When Levi took the first bite he thought that he had died and gone straight to heaven. As someone who had no talent in cooking whatsoever he simply couldn’t understand how Eren had created something this delicious. Even though everything in him screamed to stuff more food into his mouth he chewed slowly, wanting to savour the flavour. If he ever ended up in jail and was on death row he knew what he wanted for his last meal.

All four of them didn’t talk much during the meal, too busy consuming all the food. Everyone filled their plates again when they were empty and Levi had never seen a woman eat that much food before. He had a newfound respect for Mikasa. How someone could wolf down food like that and still look classy was beyond him.

“That was fucking amazing,” he said when he was full, unable to eat one more bite.

“Yeah? I’m glad,” Eren replied, leaning back in his chair. “I can’t believe we managed to eat all of it. I was sure we’d have some leftovers.”

Armin put his fork and knife down on his plate. “Me too. Ah, Levi. When is your flight tomorrow?” he asked curiously.

“At 7 am. I’ve already packed,” he answered his question, the pang in his stomach not caused from the amount of food he had eaten. “The flight will be awful. I hate flying,” he grumbled. Being forced to sit next to people in such close proximity was truly torture.

“I’ll go with you to the airport,” Eren said and took their plates. “If you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t.” It was a bit surprising that he would go with him. As far as he knew Eren wasn’t a morning person. But that also mean that he would be the last person Levi said goodbye to. Fuck.

Armin helped Eren taking their used plates and cutlery to the kitchen. Levi was watching them walk away when he felt eyes on him. Mikasa’s glare was one that rivalled his own. “What?” he asked unimpressed, not getting why she was giving him such a look.

“Don’t come back.”

What was that about? Before Levi could reply Eren was back in the living room and it was probably a bad idea to start a fight with his sister in front of him, so he kept his mouth shut. He had no idea why she had said that. Did he do something?

At the end of the evening when Levi was getting ready to go Armin shook his hand politely, smiling at him. “Get home safely,” he said. “And stay in touch with Eren.” As they looked at each other Levi got the feeling that Armin knew that he wasn’t planning on doing that. Why stay in touch with Eren if it would only hurt? It was better to let him be a memory.

“I will,” Levi lied and Armin nodded, stepping aside to let him to the door. Levi had no idea if he believed him. Mikasa only said bye to him, not bothering to properly give him a farewell and that was fine. They didn’t get along that well and Levi was never quite sure what to say to her. Her protectiveness over Eren rubbed him the wrong way.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Eren said and smiled at him, making Levi’s chest feel too tight again. Tomorrow would be the last time he’d ever see his face again. He didn’t want it to be the last time. He wanted- No. No, it was better that way. They lived so far apart. Trying to stay in touch with each other would only make them drift apart anyway.

He’d do what Mikasa wanted. He wouldn’t come back.

 

-

 

It was pathetic how many times so far he had thought about simply staying, but he couldn’t. That was not what he really wanted. His friends were waiting for him back at home. He liked it in America, it was where he belonged. Austria wasn’t his home. Sure, it was nice here, but ultimately he didn’t belong here. He had no desire to spend the rest of his life in this place. The only thing, the only person he was attached to here was Eren.

“Eleven hours, huh? Are you going to be okay? I’m worried you’ll murder whoever sits next to you,” he joked and Levi smirked. “That’s a very real possibility. Maybe you’ll hear about it on the news.” Eren laughed and Levi would miss that, too. His laugh could brighten anyone’s day. His heart ached the more he thought about leaving him behind. He had truly fallen for him.

They were sitting on a bench, waiting for the announcement that Levi’s plane would soon leave. “I’m sorry that I didn’t manage to teach you Austrian German,” Eren said, looking like he was honestly upset about it.

“It was a lost cause,” Levi told him. “But, I learned some stuff, so it wasn’t all in vain.”

“Still... Although, it’s not like you’ll need that knowledge again,” Eren muttered. “So all in all it was pretty useless.”

Levi shook his head, letting his legs dangle. “I don’t think so. By the way, thanks for showing me the city. And just...being there,” he said quietly, looking at the ground. He was dreading the moment the announcer’s voice boomed from the speakers. He didn’t want to say goodbye.

“No problem. It’s me who should be thanking you. I really enjoyed our time together.” Eren admitted, “I normally don’t go out a lot or do stuff together with someone besides Armin and Mikasa.”

That took Levi by surprise and he looked at him. “Really?”

Eren nodded. “Yeah. It’s kind of difficult for me to make friends. Sure, I have some, but I’m bad at...doing stuff with them. I don’t know how to describe it. I like all of them, but I’m always worried about how I act when I’m with them. I’m always freaking out over whether they actually like me or not. I don’t feel like that when I’m with you,” he told him and smiled softly, but his eyes looked sad. “I’ll really miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Levi quietly said, swallowing thickly. This was the moment he could tell him how he felt. Eren’s words made him hope that he felt the same way, that his feelings weren’t one-sided. But could he be sure? No. And he had to leave soon. Even if he admitted his feelings, even if Eren felt the same way, they would have to part any moment now. Levi wouldn’t be able to bear that.

Silence filled the air between them. Eren would forget about him. Even if he would miss him for a while, life went on. Time healed all wounds. And Levi hoped that he would forget, too. He hoped that the suffocating sensation in his chest would not get worse, that it would disappear. Of all the people Levi had met in his life it was this Austrian, this idiot of a man who had captured his heart. It wasn’t fair.

Beside him Eren sighed when it was announced his plane would leave soon. “I guess that’s it then,” he said and Levi stood up and grabbed his bag. “Seems so.”

He didn’t know what to say. How could someone say goodbye to a guy like that? What were the right words? Levi didn’t have the answer.

“But hey, even if you’ll be back in America, we’ll still stay in touch, right? It will be like you never left,” Eren tried to brighten the mood and Levi looked away, already hating himself for what would come out of his mouth next.

“I’d prefer it if we didn’t stay in touch.”

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Eren. He didn’t want to see his face. “W-what?” he heard him ask, clearly shocked. “Why not?”

Levi tightened his grip on his bag. “I just don’t want to. That’s it. It was fun here in Salzburg with you, but I’m going back to America. I’m going back to my normal life.”

“So you want to forget all about your trip? Do you- I don’t think I understand,” Eren replied and Levi gritted his teeth. “I thought we were friends.”

“Can’t you just accept it?” Levi snapped, turning around, facing away from him. “I’m leaving. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

_No, that’s not right. I can’t talk to you anymore, because if I do I’ll never get over you. Then I’ll always think about my time here._

“You’re a fucking asshole, you know that?” Eren said, his voice cold and Levi took a step forward. “You only realised that now? You really are an idiot.”

_What am I doing? Why am I being so harsh? That’s not how I wanted this to play out._

“Why are you doing this?”

_I don’t know._

“We’re friends.”

_We are._

“I thought you liked me.”

_I like you too much._

“Talk to me!”

Levi closed his eyes and heard the announcer repeating her words. He had a flight to catch. He needed to leave.

“Goodbye, Eren,” he said and continued walking, ignoring what he was leaving behind. He couldn’t stay. He couldn’t tell Eren how he felt about him. He couldn’t deal with this.

Every step Levi took was one too many. Every step was taking him further away from Salzburg, from Eren. As he boarded his plane he felt his eyes burning. Levi had not felt the urge to cry in several years, but right now he had never wanted to do anything more. And if the woman next to him noticed some tears rolling down his cheeks while he stared out of the window, she was kind enough not to say anything.

_Goodbye._

**Author's Note:**

> “Gengans afoch über d’Bruckn und donn links de Stroßn weida. Donn bei da Bank links ume. Kinnans goaned verpassn.” = "Just cross the bridge and go left and follow the street. At the bank also turn left. You can't miss it."
> 
> “Konn i ma an Stift ausleihn?” = "Can I borrow a pen?"
> 
> "Oachkatzlschwoaf." = "Tail of a squirrel."
> 
> “I hob gwusst, dass du des doa wiast." = "I knew you were going to do that."
> 
> “Woast du nu wie der ane Typ docht hod du keast zu der asiatischen Touristengruppm und woitst zur Sound of Music Tour?” = "Do you remember the one guy who thought you belonged to that Asian tourist group and wanted to go on the Sound of Music Tour?"
> 
> “Des woa so des Oaschloch! Am liabstn hätt i erm in sei schiaches Gfrieß khaut!” = "That was such an asshole! I really wanted to punch him in his ugly face!"


End file.
